Core Insights - The 2025 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Salary and Benefits Survey indicates a downward trend in average salary increases across all industries in Hong Kong and Guangdong, with Hong Kong at 2.5%, Guangdong at 1.8%, and Macao at 1.6% [1][7] - Despite the overall decline, 15% of surveyed companies (39 firms) reported salary increases exceeding 4.5%, highlighting that high-performing companies can still attract talent through competitive salaries [2][9] - The demand for mid-to-senior management talent in Hong Kong is stabilizing, with a notable decrease in turnover rates for this group, reflecting a recovering job market [3] Salary Trends - Hong Kong's average salary increase of 2.5% is a decrease of 1 percentage point from last year's 3.5%, while Guangdong's decrease is 0.5 percentage points from 2.3% to 1.8%, and Macao's decrease is 1.1 percentage points from 2.7% to 1.6% [1] - The survey collected 258 valid responses, with 73,262 from Hong Kong, 116,960 from Guangdong, and 54,195 from Macao, covering various sectors and employee levels [1][2] Industry Performance - Certain industries, such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, electronic equipment manufacturing, and leasing and business services, continue to show relatively strong salary growth despite the overall slowdown [2] - Projections for 2026 suggest a noticeable increase in salary levels for industries including pharmaceuticals, electronics, logistics, and retail [2] Graduate Salaries - The starting salaries for fresh graduates in Hong Kong have seen a consistent increase over the past six years, with an overall rise between 27% and 47% across various sectors, although 2025's salary levels did not show further growth [3] Research and Development - The launch of the third-generation AI salary advisory platform by Hong Kong Baptist University aims to enhance research accuracy and provide companies with effective salary benchmarking tools [4] - The platform allows companies to compare salary levels across over 40,000 enterprises in the Greater Bay Area, facilitating data-driven decision-making [4]